Scrolling and zooming are among the most frequently used commands in interactive applications such as word processors, spreadsheets and digital maps. This is because the full extent of the document is typically much larger than can be displayed by the display screen. To get an overview of the whole document, the user is likely to zoom-out to see a large part of the document at a glance, while operations such as editing and selecting typically require a zoomed-in view revealing detailed elements of the document which might be invisible or too small in the zoomed-out view.
An example of a system as defined in the opening paragraph is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,749. The known system provides the user with user-operable means to easily switch between scrolling and zooming. This is, for example, achieved by operating two mouse buttons simultaneously, not requiring use of any on-screen graphic tools. The known system thus provides the user with a smooth flight-like aesthetic.